Shayne Dark: Natural Conditions

Shayne Dark's Fracture Zone #2, 2015; Fracture Zone #3, 2015; and Fracture Zone #4, 2015, on the grounds of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Photograph by Tom Loonan.

Shayne Dark

Canadian, born 1952

Shayne Dark: Natural Conditions , 2015

On View: May 22–October 4, 2015
Location: Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

Shayne Dark: Natural Conditions situates the artist’s monumental sculptures in and around the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens’ Lord & Burnham–designed conservatory, which is nestled within a landscape originally crafted by Frederick Law Olmsted. Dark’s striking use of bold color is meant to complement and enhance the organic surroundings, bringing art and nature together in a magnificent and harmonious display.

Just as a flowering blossom grabs our attention, Dark’s work in and around the Botanical Gardens acts as a visual component that draws awareness towards points of beauty and creation. And, like a blooming flower, Dark’s work integrates into a larger ecosystem of intricate design, operating to enhance the inherent beauty that surrounds us every day.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Public Art Initiative hosted a residency for the artist at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens September 14–19, 2015, during which Dark sourced local organic material at the end of its lifecycle to create a site-specific installation. The residency offered direct insight into the artist’s creative practice and allowed visitors to see the evolution of his work from raw materials to finished installation.

Shayne Dark's Fracture Zone #2, 2015; Fracture Zone #3, 2015; and Fracture Zone #4, 2015, on the grounds of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens — Shayne Dark's *Fracture Zone #2*, 2015; *Fracture Zone #3*, 2015; and *Fracture Zone #4*, 2015, on the grounds of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Photograph by Tom Loonan.

Shayne Dark's Critical Mass 3, 2010, in the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens — Shayne Dark's *Critical Mass 3*, 2010, in the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Photograph by Tom Loonan.

Shayne Dark's MacLachlan Woodworking Museum #2, 2013, on the grounds of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens — Shayne Dark's *MacLachlan Woodworking Museum #2*, 2013, on the grounds of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Photograph by Tom Loonan.

Shayne Dark’s Windfall, 2010, at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens — Shayne Dark’s *Windfall*, 2010, at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Photograph by Tom Loonan.

About Shayne Dark

Shayne Dark (Canadian, born 1952) has been transforming ordinary materials such as aluminum, glass, lead, steel ball bearings, and wood into atmospheric and thought-provoking installations since the mid-1980s. Fueled by his interest in the variance between the urban and natural world, Dark states that his work is meant to “stimulate a spiritual or visceral reaction in the view.” His work prizes nature as inspiration for his abstract and colorful forms. Visit Shayne Dark’s Website

Initiative Sponsors

The Public Art Initiative is supported by the County of Erie and the City of Buffalo.

Project Sponsors

This project is made possible, in part, through the generous support of the Albright-Knox Contemporary and Modern Art Foundation Canada, Charles E. Balbach, and Margie and Sandy Nobel.

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Roberley Bell's Locus Amoenus

Another site-specific installation, Roberley Bell's Locus Amoenus, was on view at Tifft Nature Preserve in 2016.

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